Ashlandil

What the hell was going on?
I frowned as I looked around the empty apartment where Cronus was supposed to be, seeing he must have been living here but was currently out and about. Iriel had said the other Fallen would be here, so where was he, off on a coffee break?
This was such bullshit.
Iriel had said he had him trapped, but apparently the strong bastard had escaped or gotten away or --- something.
This wasn't right.
I needed to get out of here and back to Kenali. The show was probably over by now and she would be furious I wasn't there like I said I would be.
But there was a situation.
I could smell that Cronus had been here, but the scent was old by several days, meaning Iriel had to a have his Intel wrong.
Cronus wasn't here.
Which was lucky for him considering I had no intentions of sparing his life despite what anyone else wanted.
For what he'd done, he didn't deserve to live.
Although I would have questioned him; Cronus didn't seem smart enough to me to pull off any kind of elaborate plan by himself even if he did have the smarts to think one up. Which meant someone was pulling the strings and they would need to be eradicated too.
At this rate I might as well do the world a favor and get rid of all the fallen angels to make sure Kenali and the baby were safe.
I sighed, giving the decrepit, rat-ridden apartment a final glance over, tugging on the collar of my suit as it bothered me; I should've brought a change of clothes.
I might as well get put of here though. I started to turn, but I caught a wif of another scent, one familiar and that I knew well ---.
"Ashlandil."
"Seraphine. I should have known." I muttered, turning around to see her standing in one of the open doorways, tensing. "It makes total sense you'd make a comeback. I like your short hair," I smirked, seeing the black tresses were no longer the length they'd been before my lovely girlfriend had burned her alive.
She twitched at the reminder.
"So what do you want then?" I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose; this was getting old quickly. "Revenge? Again? Didn't you learn your lesson before?"
She scoffed at me, crossing those long arms of her, cocking her head to the side. "Is that really what you think I want? I have nothing against you or Kenali."
"Then just Andiel?" Fucking asshole.
"Of course. Kenali was a fool who Fell for the same lies I did, it's not her fault he is so convincing. And you're just the fool who falls for those whose hearts will never belong to you."
I clenched my jaw, my fists tightening as I glared at her. Of course she knew how to get under my skin, she'd been down here as long as me, we knew each other well.
Evil bitch.
Kenali really shouldve killed her when she had the chance.
"Funny coming from someone who doesn't have a heart." I retorted, frowning.
Her lips curved into a grin. "I'm glad I didn't kill you back then."
"Likewise. So why are you here? With Cronus? Haven't you done enough damage?"
"Cronus has become exceptionally handy to have around!" she chuckled, reaching out to run her nails thoughtfully against the brick wall, and it was all I could do not to cringe as they cut through the brick like butter. "Funny how having a child makes you so... weak."
I frowned.
The fuck did she mean?
He had a kid?
"Cronus has a son," Seraphine rolled her eyes when I didn't immediately comment. "He's in his late teens. Cronus is crazy about him, although the big lug would never admit it. Kid doesn't even know he exists either."
Most Nephilim didn't know their angel parent, it just wasn't done, so that part was obvious. Most kids would start to ask questions when they're parents didn't age or had special powers, yknow?
Although me and Kenali were about to challenge that.
"What does that matter?" I muttered, confused as I rubbed the back of my head. "Who cares if he has a kid?"
I sure as shit didn't.
"I do. And Iriel does." She sang, grinning at me, enjoying the little game she was playing. A snippet of information here, a snippet there --- just enough to hold my attention and make me wonder.
So why did Iriel care?
"Well that's nice." I sighed, growing tired of listening to her snotty voice; or maybe I was just tired in general. "Look, can you get to the point? I actually have somewhere to be right now."
"You mean meeting Kenali after the theatre? You're a tad late for that."
"I'm never on time. She'll understand."
"I doubt she'll be waiting for you when you."
"Then she'll go home, I'll explain later."
I loved the annoyed look on her face; she'd always been easy to pick on.
"Ashlandil, you're still so fucking dense," she groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose, purposefully mirroring me. "I'm actually trying to do you a favor here and you're not even connecting the dots."
A favor?
From Seraphine?
Nah.
She didn't do anything out of the goodness of her heart.
"And why would someone like you wanna do me a favor?" I asked suspiciously. My alarms had been blaring before I'd even seen her, my gut telling me something was horribly wrong. She'd mentioned Iriel, which didn't bode well, but things were definitely starting to fall into place for me. Iriel hadn't been helping us at all, he'd been the one behind everything, hadn't he?
Was he using Cronus somehow? Manipulating Andy? It would make sense.
Make Andy hurt Kenali, break her heart and devastate her, and maybe she wouldn't want that baby she was treasuring so much; maybe she'd want to get rid of it or give it away. And there would be Iriel ready to take it straight out of her arms.
And Cronus having a son meant the kid was being used against him.
Having a child did make you weak.
You would do anything you could the moment you saw it, heard it speak --- just the very thought of harm coming to the one Kenali carried made me want to crack someone's skull. Offspring were more of a detriment to one's health then anyone would ever expect.
Although the one that Kacy was carrying I never thought about, oddly enough. I wasn't sure why I cared more for a child that wasn't mine then I did for one that was, but I was a shitty creation like that. Maybe when the thing was born it would be different, but I didn't have intentions of ever seeing it or knowing it, and especially not seeing it's mother again.
I never should have fucked her in the first place, she'd been nothing but trouble.
But that was women.
"And what's this favor?" I grunted, as if I was completely oblivious to what she was trying to tell me. Really, I figured I'd been lured out here like a complete fucking jackass so Iriel could get Kenali, and with Cronus with him I didn't doubt she was currently in their hands; I needed to keep Seraphine talking, get her to tell me as much as she possibly could so I would known where to find Kenali.
And quickly.
Guess that bad feeling in my gut hadn't been off after all.
Seraphine huffed, her hands going to her shapely hips. "Must I spell it out for you? Fine. That little abomination Kenali so proudly carries, Iriel wants it. Intensely, although I can't fathom why. All of us know she's pregnant, you two didn't exactly keep it a big secret so don't look so surprised." Good, that had been the look I'd been going for. "Now, just because I might be a horrid creature doomed to the deepest pits of hell, I... Do have some limits." She frowned now, her black brows drawing together over her dark eyes. "And it's a nephilim baby. Normal babies I wouldn't care, I've eaten a few of those and they're a little rubbery."
I curled my nose.
Flesh eating? No wonder humans were so terrified of demons. I'd never felt the urge to eat a human, not like Raza or apparently her. If she was getting those cravings it meant the darkness was catching up with her finally and it wouldn't be long until there was another mass murder on the news and she would be hunted and put down.
Us angels did have a few universal rules, the main one being not to get caught or draw attention to ourselves.
alright so it was basically the only rule.
But whatever.
"What does Iriel care about that baby? It's got months before it's to be born," I grunted, allowing my arms to swing freely by my side, growing cautious. "He can't do anything with it right now."
"Maybe not. But he can Kenali. And about this time he probably has her while you're standing here chatting with me like an idiot. Do you want me to tell you where they are or not?"
Yes! I wanted to bellow the word at her, my chest feeling so tight and heavy I could barely breathe, a harsh ache of worry and fear settling there. Of fucking course I wanted to know! Where was Kenali!? What was he going to do to her? And Cronus? He would probably do anything to keep his kid safe, I didn't blame him.
But I would kill him.
then he wouldn't have to be worried about being blackmailed anymore.
Not only had he fucked my girlfriend, even if the circumstances were different from a humans point of view, I still hated him. And he'd betrayed Kenali after she'd been so kind to him. Did she know he had a kid?
She should've told me!
Goddammit!
"Where is she?" my jaw was clenched so tightly my teeth ached, my nails starting to dig into my skin.
"Other side of town, near the docks in one of the airplane hangers; he has intentions of taking her back to the cathedral before you even know she's gone. Clever asshole, isn't he?"
Soon to be a dead one.
"And what do I owe for this information?" I asked dryly, edging my way to the door before she decided to attack, my senses flaring in case there was someone else nearby.
"Nothing.... Yet. But I will require a favor out of this one day."
Yeah right, she wasn't getting shit from me.
"Fine." I dismissed instantly, at the door and opening it.
"Ashlandil?"
"What?"
"Do remember I'm stronger then you," her voice was casual, but I could hear rather then see the smirk on her face. "I almost killed you once and I would have had Kenali not come. I'll do it again if necessary."
"You got lucky before, my guard was down because I underestimated you. That won't be happening again."
"We'll see, won't we?"
Yes.
we would.

Notes

Wow, lookie there, villainous plot revealed! Whatever could happen next? *ominous music plays ominously in background. Me with fake mustache twirls it with quirked eyebrow. I'm also wearing a monocle with a top hat and some white gloves. Lightning flashes in the distance as I stand in front of a dark castle with thunderclouds rolling above it. Ominous music continues.*

Another three days and we'll find out! :D